Structurally-reinforced plastic composite products produced with recycled waste glass fibers and recycled polymer compounds and process for making the same

Abstract

A recycled fiberglass reinforced polymer composite article and a method of the same are disclosed in the present disclosure. The reinforced composite article is composed of a recycled fiberglass collected from waste streams and functioning as a filler, the recycled fiberglass being 30-70% of a total weight of the reinforced composite article; a colorant of 1-2% of the total weight of the reinforced composite article; and a recycled resin substantially wetting-out the recycled glass fiber by the black colorant and a chemical binder.

1 . A reinforced composite article, comprising:
 a recycled fiberglass collected from waste streams and functioning as a filler, the recycled fiberglass being 30-70% of a total weight of the reinforced composite article;   a colorant of 1-2% of the total weight of the reinforced composite article; and   a recycled resin collected from the waste streams and substantially wetting-out the recycled glass fiber by the black colorant and a chemical binder.   
     
     
         2 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the recycled resin comprises at least one of high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) or an engineering grade resin. 
     
     
         3 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the engineering grade resin is selected from one of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyphenolsulfide (PPS) resin, polyethersulfone (PES) resin, chlorinated polyether resin, acrylic resin, fluorocarbon resin, nylon (polyamide) resin, polystyrene resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, and vinyl resin 
     
     
         4 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant includes a black carbon of 40% by weight. 
     
     
         5 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the chemical binder includes [3-(2-Aminoethylamino)propyl]trimethoxysilane. 
     
     
         6 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the recycled fiberglass has a length of 5-15 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the recycled fiberglass includes at least one of cullet, chopped stripped mat, chopped strand, surface veil, micro fiber and chopped filament mat. 
     
     
         8 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 7 , wherein the cullet has an average diameter of 20-30 μm. 
     
     
         9 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 7 , wherein the chopped strand mat has an average diameter of 10-20 μm. 
     
     
         10 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has a modulus of elasticity (MOE) of at least 250,000 psi. 
     
     
         11 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has a modulus of rupture (MOR) of at least 3,000 psi. 
     
     
         12 . The reinforced composite article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has an area occupied by voids no more than 3% of a total area of the article. 
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing a reinforced composite article, comprising:
 receiving a recycled glass fiber and a recycled resin from waste streams;   pulverizing the recycled glass fiber and the recycled resin;   applying a chemical binder to the pulverized recycled glass fiber and drying the applied chemical binder;   washing the pulverized recycled resin and drying the washed pulverized recycled resin;   desiccant-drying the dried pulverized recycled resin;   gravitational blending the recycled glass fiber and the recycled resin;   applying a secondary chemical binder with the blended recycled glass fiber and recycled resin;   extruding the blended recycled glass fiber and recycled resin with the applied secondary chemical binder; and   mold-filling the extruded glass fiber and recycled resin under pressure to shape the reinforced composite article.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the applying a secondary chemical binder with the blended recycled glass fiber and recycled resin includes applying colorant and a blowing agent. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the colorant includes a carbon black of 40% of a total weight of the colorant and the colorant is equal to or less than 2% of a total weight of the reinforced composite article. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the fiberglass is coated by the applied chemical binder at a 5-15% moisture rate. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising performing a quality control testing after the washing the pulverized recycled resin and drying the washed pulverized recycled resin. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the extruding the blended recycled fiberglass and recycled resin are carried out under a continuous vacuum condition at a temperature of 450 to 500° F. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising cooling the molded fiberglass and recycled resin after the mold-filling the extruded glass fiber and recycled resin. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the comprising cooling the molded fiberglass and recycled resin are carried out under a temperature of 65° F. at least for 60 minutes. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising inspecting the shaped reinforced composite article with X-ray or ultrasonic. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the mold-filling the extruded glass fiber and recycled resin is performed under a delayed chill cycle. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the reinforced composite article is manufactured under a flow rate of 4,000 to 5,500 cc/hr.